Data from: Novel loci underlie natural variation in vitamin E levels in maize grain

Tocopherols, tocotrienols and plastochromanols (collectively termed tocochromanols) are lipid-soluble antioxidants synthesized by all plants. Their dietary intake, primarily from seed oils, provides vitamin E and other health benefits. Tocochromanol biosynthesis has been dissected in the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana, which has green, photosynthetic seeds, but our understanding of tocochromanol accumulation in major crops, whose seeds are non-photosynthetic, remains limited. To understand the genetic control of tocochromanols in grain, we conducted a joint linkage and genome-wide association study in the 5,000-line U.S. maize (Zea mays) nested association-mapping panel. Fifty-two quantitative trait loci (QTL) for individual and total tocochromanols were identified, and of the 14 resolved to individual genes, six encode novel activities affecting tocochromanols in plants. These include two chlorophyll biosynthetic enzymes that explain the majority of tocopherol variation, which was not predicted, given that, like most major cereal crops, maize grain is non-photosynthetic. This comprehensive assessment of natural variation in vitamin E levels in maize establishes the foundation for improving tocochromanol and vitamin E content in seeds of maize and other major cereal crops

README.txt

README for Dryad Digital Repository Deposit associated with " Novel Loci Underlie Natural Variation in Vitamin E Levels in Maize Grain" by Diepenbrock et al. in The Plant Cell, 201

FPKM_transcript_matrix_Jan_30_2016.txt.gz

Expression abundances (FPKMs) of a kernel developmental timecourse of the NAM parents for the AGPv2 transcripts

FPKM_gene_matrix_Jan_30_2016.txt.gz

Expression abundances (FPKMs) of a kernel developmental timecourse of the NAM parents for the AGPv2 genes

filtered_SNP_matrix_AGPv2_vitamaize_Jan_2016.zip

Single nucleotide polymorphisms derived from mRNAseq of a kernel developmental timecourse from the NAM parents